Rangers 2 (De Boer 15, Canniggia 42) AC Milan 2 (Tomasson 45, Borriello 80)
Attendance 40,411
Rangers were extremely fortunate to escape with a 2-2 draw in this afternoon's friendly with AC Milan at Ibrox. Indeed, it was only the outstanding goalkeeping of Stefan Klos that saved the home side from a heavy defeat.
Milan were making their first visit to Ibrox in fully 45 years, having triumphed 4-1 in the European Champions Cup campaign of 1957-58, a campaign that took them all the way to the final where they lost somewhat unluckily 2-3 to the great Real Madrid.
Since then of course Milan have secured no fewer than five European Cups, and indeed are second to Real in the all-time standings for Europe¹s premier club tournament.
There was no Kevin Muscat in the Ibrox ranks, but Mikel Arteta did make his home debut. Former Ibrox favourite Rino Gattuso made a welcome return to Ibrox in the colours of the Italian giants.
In his time as a Ranger the midfield dynamo was just a youngster with loads of potential. Now he returned as a full Italian Internationalist with a World Cup campaign behind him. Italian World Cup captain Paulo Maldini led Milan out, and included in their ranks was Jon Dahl Tomasson, who played for Feyenoord against Rangers in last season's UEFA Cup, and indeed scored the winning goal in that competition's final against Borussia Dortmund.
Also returning to Ibrox only less welcome this time was Referee Willie Young, whom many expected to retire at the end of last season.
Milan made the running in the opening stages, and it took a superb saving tackle from Fernando Ricksen to deny Dos Santos when Andryi Schevchenko released him.
Rangers took the lead however on the quarter hour when Ronald De Boer headed home a Peter Lovenkrands cross.
Schevchenko was creating all kinds of problems for the Rangers defence, and from his 21st minute cross Tomasson should have done better than miss-kick right in front of goal.
Arteta was looking good in 34 minutes his low drive following a one-two between Shota Arveladze and Peter Lovenkrands was held by Milan goalkeeper Christian Abbiati.
Eight minutes later Rangers went two up when an Arteta corner was back-headed by De Boer at the near post, finding Craig Moore at the far post whose nod down presented Claudio Caniggia with the simple task of turning the ball over the line.
That two-goal lead lasted only three minutes however when Tomasson's flashing header from a Andrea Pirlo cross caught Lorenzo Amoruso napping.
It had been an entertaining first-half, with the midfield tussles between Rino Gattuso and both Barry Ferguson and Mikel Arteta entertaining the impressive 40,000 spectators.
Referee Willie Young, 75 yards behind play, made an appalling error in 52 minutes when he penalised Amoruso when the Italian defender clearly won the ball in a tackle on Schevchenko.
Four minutes later it was Klos to the rescue when he executed a superb one-handed save to deny the Ukrainian.
Milan were pouring forward, and on the hour Klos again denied the Italians when he deflected wide Tomasson's point-blank volley, then five minutes on Schevchenko saw his angled drive from a Maldini pass held by the goalkeeper.
Rangers were on the rack, scarcely able to mount a credible attack, clearly exhausted from the draining period spent in the USA.
Twice within sixty seconds Klos again denied Milan - firstly when he fisted out a 25-yard drive from substitute Marco Borriello, then turned behind a point-blank effort from fellow sub Christian Brocchi.
The equaliser was inevitable and it duly arrived with ten minutes remaining when Borriello was unmarked as he turned the ball home from a cutback by Ibramin Ba.
Rangers were out on their feet, clearly suffering the after effects of the gruelling pre-season bounce games in 100 degree humidity in New Jersey, and twice in the closing stages Milan came close to a deserved winner.
Vitaly Kutosov shot wide of an open goal in 85 minutes, then three minutes later a Ba cross eluded the inrushing Tomasson and Borriello.
The game ended at 2-2, leaving Rangers struggling desperately for fitness with competitive action just six days away.
RANGERS Klos; Ricksen, Moore, Amoruso, Numan; De Boer (Ross 80), Ferguson (Hughes 72), Arteta (Nerlinger 56); Caniggia (Latapy 80), Arveladze, Lovenkrands (Flo 72)
UNUSED SUBS. McGregor, Konterman
AC MILAN Abbiati, Contra (Simic 45), Maldini, Kaladze, Domoraud; Pirlo (Ba 73), Gattuso (Kutosov 84), Seedorf (Brocchi 45), Dos Santos; Schevchenko (Borriello 66), Tomasson
UNUSED SUBS. Fiori, Rui
REFEREE Willie Young